Scaffolds



March 13, 1962 K. PENNINGTON SCAFFOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1959 Q & yQ MIliILM lll ll llifw em lllllllllllllllll w W W- M Q QTTURNEYS Unite States atelt 3,024,877 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 3,024,877 SCAFFOLDS Lacy K. Pennington, 3020 Getty St., Muskegon, Mich. Filed May 14, 1959, Ser. No. 813,164 2 Claims. (Cl. 189-19) This invention relates to scaffolds such as utilized by maintenance and repair men, building contractors, and others required to build, paint and repair buildings, and other structures of all kinds.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a sectional, portable scaffold, which can be built up to any desired height, and erected for either inside or outside work, the sections being releasably seemed to the supporting legs or posts, one above the other to the height required and to provide ample space for the workmen, materials, and tools required for the job.

Another object of the invention is to design a scaffold structure including vertical, sectional, corner posts or supports, and vertically, adjustable individual units or sections supported thereby to provide a scaffold of desired height.

A further object is to provide a sectional scaffold, the individual posts and units of which can be readily assembled and/or disassembled and moved from one location to another as required, and which can be extended horizontally in any direction to provide additional working area and/or space to suit the requirements of the job.

Another object is to provide a scaffold structure which can be easily adjusted for erection on fiat ground, or on a slope or hillside, and provide easily operable locking means, for locking the individual units to or unlocking them from the supporting posts.

Another object is to design a collapsible scaffold which can be readily manufactured, mass produced and assembled, and which requires a minimum of storage space, when not in use, the individual units being easily handled and transported, so that the sections require very little time and labor to erect and/or disassemble.

A further object is to provide a sectional scaffold, which is expandable both vertically horizontally, which is of simple design, but of rigid construction, affording maximum safety to support the workmen, tools and materials being used.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size and proportion and minor details of construction, without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of my scaffold showing a pair of units in erected position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side-elevational view showing the locking mechanism in locked position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the mechanism in unlocked position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view showing a corner post or leg, and the locking means in locked position, parts being broken away to more clearly show the construction.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary, part sectional view showing the connection of one of the corner posts.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary part sectional view of one of the leg channels.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention.

The scaffold comprises a plurality of sectional, corner, supporting posts 8 arranged in any desired pattern or shape, and being preferably formed of lightweight, hollow, square or round tubing of predetermined lengths. An internally threaded plug 9 is mounted in the lower end of each post 8, and a threaded shaft 10 is threadedly engaged therewith, the lower end of the shaft being pivotally mounted in a fiat foot member 11 provided on the lower end thereof, said shaft being provided with transversely disposed openings 12 to receive a pin P, and by means of which the shaft can be actuated to raise and/or lower the post with relation to the base, and similar openings 13 are provided in the lower end sections of the legs 8, so that the openings 12 and 13 can be brought into alignment to accommodate the pin P and hold the parts in adjusted relation.

The lower end of each post is reduced as at 14 to form a shoulder 15, and the lower end of the engaging post section 8a fits into said reduced end and bears on said shoulder.

Each corner post 8 has a plurality of laterally projecting disposed, vertically spaced apart lugs 16 provided on the several faces thereof, and an enlarged head 17 is provided on each lug and for a purpose to be presently described.

Movable, fabricated units U are releasably mounted on the posts 8 in vertically spaced relation, each unit being formed much as a truss, with a pair of top chords 18 spanning and being secured to the channel-shaped side legs 19, with angle braces 20 leading from the members 18 and 19, and angularly disposed brace members 21 are connected to the chord 18 and to a tie member 22. Similar legs 23 are secured to the member 22 and to the side legs 19 as shown.

Each of the legs 19 is formed with a transversely disposed passage 24 opening into a vertically disposed slot 24a to accommodate the corner post lugs 16, and slits 25 are provided in the side walls of the legs 19 and open to the passage 24 to permit entering the lug 16 and head 17 when the unit is being mounted or removed. Flat locking plates 26 are slidably mounted in the legs 19 as shown, each plate having a tongue 27 punched therefrom and extending laterally therefrom for engagement by the locking lever L, the upper end of said plate being forked as at 26a for engagement with the lug 16.

The locking levers L are pivotally mounted on the braces 20 by means of a pin 28, and inasmuch as these levers are identical in construction and operation, a description of but one will sufiice for all.

Each locking lever L is preferably formed of flat stock, it has a slot 29 in the head end thereof for engagement with the tongue 27 of lock plate 28, all as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; so that when the lever is swung down, the

plate 28 is forced upwardly into locking engagement with and beneath the head 17 of the lug 16, all as shown in FIG. 5. It will thus be obvious that manipulation of the various levers L, to shift the plate members 28 into and/ or out of engagement with the lugs 16, locking and/or unlocking from the units U from the corner supports. The corner posts 8 are secured together by means of the units U, and planks 3i) span the chord members 18 to form the platform on which the men work and material for use is placed.

It will, of course, be obvious that any desired number of units can be employed, depending on the height of the work; and the horizontal area required for the workmen and the material.

The device is easily and quickly erected, and/or dismantled, after the corner posts are set and adjusted to suit the terrain, the units W are placed in position and easily secured by manipulation of the locking levers L, and storage of the units requires but a minimum of space.

From the foregoing description, it will be clearly obvious that I have perfected a very rugged, relatively inexpensive, sectional scaffold, which can be economically constructed and assembled, and in which the sections are easily mounted and/ or demounted by means of locking levers.

What I claim is:

1. A sectional scaffold comprising, a plurality of support posts arranged in predetermined pattern and formed with vertically spaced, laterally-projecting anchor lugs secured thereon, a plurality of truss-like support units; each unit spanning and being interposed between at least two of said posts; each unit being formed with opposed, depending, channel-shaped, side legs, having back and side walls; transversely disposed passages in said back walls, and vertically slotted openings in the side walls open to said transversely-disposed passages, the legs of the support units being mounted in intimate parallel relation with said posts, with the transverse passages and vertical slots in said legs being of a size and shape to permit passage of said anchor lugs; lock plates formed with an open forked end slidable in said channel-shaped legs,

each forked end being movable into and out of locking relation with an anchor lug; and locking levers pivotally mounted, off-center, on said truss-like support units for actuating the plates to move them into and out of locking relation with said lugs.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which a laterally projecting tongue is provided on each locking plate, and the locking lever is provided with an open slot in the head end thereof for engagement with said tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,201,602 Causey May 21, 1940 2,335,046 Droeger Nov. 23, 1943 2,593,122 Droeger Apr. 15, 1952 2,643,586 Colvin June 30, 1953 2,644,591 McMahan July 7, 1953 2,681,834 Benson June 22, 1954 2,841,452 Borgman July 1, 1958 2,895,619 Frazier July 21, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 916,776 France Aug. 26, 1946 

